Page 48 of Burning Beauty

She could see the gears working in his brain as he tried to figure out what to do. Finally, Maria took pity on him. "We can call Nic if it'll make you feel better. He can tell you directly that he gave the go ahead for us to take an afternoon away from the house."

He still looked skeptical, but slightly happier. "Yeah, maybe we should check with the boss. Do you think he'll be annoyed?"

Maria was starting to suspect Nic hadn't been in on the hiring process for this one. As far as Maria had observed, Nic tended to surround himself with intelligent men. She smiled kindly, keeping the derision from her voice as she spoke. "I'm sure he won't mind." Maria pulled her the phone from her pocket. Nic had given it to her before he left. Unfortunately, he'd locked it so it only went to his numbers. Something she would remedy at the first opportunity.

Before Antonio could stop her, Maria pressed the dial button and waited breathlessly for Nic to pick up. She almost hoped he didn't, but it took a matter of seconds before his deep voice filled the hall where they were standing, sucking the oxygen right out of Maria. "Si, Maria, are you okay?"

Her heart pounded at the hint of worry leaking into his voice. He cared about her and thought she wouldn't call unless she was hurt. Instead, she was calling to purposefully deceive him. Maria felt suddenly ashamed. They'd been steadily building a foundation of trust. But one look at Cassandra's eager face, and Maria knew she had to press on. Cassandra deserved a day away. She'd been locked up for months with no reprieve. It was no wonder she got depressed.

"I'm okay," she said quietly, then glanced over at Cassandra and straightened her spine and strengthened her voice. "Cassandra and I want to go shopping with the new credit card you gave me. Remember how you said I could do my Christmas shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue?"

She held her breath and waited. This plan balanced on everyone saying the right thing, including Antonio and Nic, the two unwitting victims to her scheme. "Yes, of course I remember, I'm not that much older than you. We had that conversation only two days ago. Why are you asking me this?"

Cassandra giggled at the impatience in Nic's voice and clapped a hand over her mouth.

Antonio piped up. "My fault, sir. I questioned Ms. Sanchez when she asked if she could go shopping."

"There's no need to question my woman," Nic said sharply. "She is allowed to use her credit card in any way she chooses at any store."

Antonio seemed to be pondering what Nic was saying, his brows drawing down a little. Maria interrupted quickly, saying, "Thank you so much, Nic. We'll just leave you alone to get back to work now."

She was about to hang up when his voice stopped her. "Call me," he growled. "Tonight, when you are alone."

Maria glanced at the other two. Antonio was studiously looking away, while Cassandra was leering like a demented gargoyle. Maria blushed and rolled her eyes, then said, "Yes, Nic, I'll call you later."

She hung up before he could do something even more embarrassing, like ask her what she was wearing. God, the man took intense to a whole other level.

"We can go!" Cassandra shouted and jumped up and down, dragging Maria's arm with her.

"Ouch!" Maria yanked her arm away. "Yes, we can go. Now run and grab your purse.” She turned an imperious look on Antonio. "Please have the car brought around for us. We'll be ready to go in ten minutes."

Cassandra was still so excited by the time they met at the front door, that Maria had to laugh out loud. Cassandra looked like she had to pee, she was bouncing around so much. "Calm down," Maria whispered. "You're going to give us away if you keep doing that."

Cassandra cleared her throat and stopped bouncing, but she couldn't help the massive grin that spread across her face as the car pulled up to pick them up. Antonio opened the back door and they slid in together.

"Wow," Maria breathed, looking around the back of the car. "Is this a limo?"

Cassandra shook her head. "Nope, this is like a town car. Fancy, but not super long or anything."

Maria was busy going through everything she could get her hands on as the car started moving. "Oh my god, an onboard bar!" she explained and immediately handed Cassandra a glass.

Cassandra laughed loudly and took the glass, but asked, "Should we? We got pretty wasted last night."

"Of course we should; when the cat's away, the mice get to play," Maria said emphatically, pulling bottles out and examining them. "Do you think there's mix in here somewhere?"

Cassandra was laughing so hard she was holding her ribs. "No, I don't think there's any mix, but Nic only stocks the best of the best so we can probably drink it straight up. But do me a favour, no tequila."

"Your wish is my command," Maria said, pouring some whiskey into a glass and then turning to pour another shot into Cassandra's glass.

She replaced the bottle and held her glass up. "What should we toast to?"

Cassandra seemed to think about it, then said, "To the mice and their excellent play day."

"To the mice!" Maria clinked her glass against Casandra's and then downed her whiskey. She wrinkled her nose as it hit the back of her throat and then lit a fiery path to her stomach. It was smooth, but not like the tequila. This stuff had a serious bite to it.

As they drove, the women discussed where they wanted to go and what they wanted to buy. Their excitement carried them throughout the day as they spent hours exploring Ocean Drive and the nearby boardwalk, with Antonio dogging their steps. He patiently held bags and made the occasional trip to the car to unload. He would make them promise not to move until he got back, which they readily agreed to. They were so pleased to be out and about that they weren't going to argue.

They decided to eat at a small boutique cafe on the boardwalk, choosing a table outside so they could enjoy the soft breeze as it caressed them. Maria soaked up the sight of the long stretches of beach and ocean as they sat. They talked about family and childhood, getting to know each other outside of the confines of their mafia life.

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